Augustine isn't offering permission to be reckless—he's making a claim about motivation itself. If you've genuinely loved, you've already aligned your desires with something larger than impulse; what follows naturally tends toward good. The obvious reading tempts us to think he's said "love excuses anything," but he's actually said the opposite: real love is so transformative that it rewires what you *want* to do. Watch someone with a newborn—they don't need rules about patience or sacrifice anymore; love has made those acts instinctive, almost involuntary in the best sense.